Getting Your Body in Shape Can Also Help Your Fiscal Fitness
There’s something about the summer that makes people want to get into shape. Maybe it’s the long days at the beach in swimsuits, or the heavy, sweltering deep summer heat. Getting is physical shape is good for your body, and it’s good for your wallet as well. So, what exactly can you do to turn your gut into cash?
The biggest financial motivation to get into shape is that you can cut back on things you don’t need. As you read through the rest of the post you might see areas where you could cut back and save money – money that can be saved, added to your mortgage payment, or set aside for your vacation to Mexico this year.
There are two basic areas to consider when getting your body and your finances into tip-top shape.
Food
There are three main components to eating healthy:
Credit: ginnerobot
Portions: This one is pretty straightforward. The less food you eat, the less food you’ll buy, right? Now I’m not talking about starving ourselves here (that would be horrible!) All I’m saying is slow down a bit when you eat, and wait for a couple of minutes before you decide to grab another helping of Grandma’s fish casserole. You’d be surprised how full you’ll be if you give “everything” a minute to settle. If you eat less at meals, you’ll be able to accurately arrange your grocery budget, helping you to save money.
Healthy Food/Less Junk Food: Junk food and simple, easy to prepare food are among my favorites. But in the end, you’re paying more for sugar and for convenience. If you can find time at least a couple days a week to cook from scratch, and you can work to cut a lot of junk food out of your weekly routine, you’ll see the results in your body and your bank account.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to cut out daily carbonated beverages. I’m not saying to eliminate them entirely, but 50-75 cents a day adds up. And do you know how much sugar is in one can of soda? About 10 teaspoons. Check out more about this here.
Substance Trumps Style: If you’re looking to get the most bang for your food buck, look for filling foods that have a bit more to them than a flimsy potato chip or an air-filled cookie. Choosing filling foods, like potatoes, fish, oatmeal, fruit and vegetables, whole wheat breads and pasta, steak (yes!), air-popped popcorn, and bran cereals will do the trick. By buying filling foods, you’ll get full more quickly, and need less food to feel satisfied, helping chip away at your grocery bill.
Exercise
Skip the Gym: If you’re paying for a gym membership and you’re not going at least twice a week consistently, drop it like it’s hot. There are hundreds of other less expensive ways to work out. You can even involve your friends in simple exercises like:
- Walking
- Jogging/Running
- Basketball
- Hiking
Credit: onetreehillstudios
Turn Your Chores Into Exercise: you’d be surprised how many calories chores like mowing the lawn, mopping your kitchen floor, vacuuming, or gardening will burn. Read a few more ideas on how to burn calories around the house.
Get Plenty of Sleep and Drink Lots of Water: This sounds basic, but it’s free – right? In this crazy Internet/Business/Tough Economic Times/I’m a Warrior – time we live in, we push our bodies to their limits. Of course, our bodies can handle tremendous stress, even for long periods of time, but is it really healthy to get only three or four hours of sleep for years? Listen to your body, and get into some sort of schedule. If you only need six hours of sleep, so be it. But don’t underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep. You might have less time to work with, but you’ll be much more effective with it – I promise. Water is also a key tool for helping your body get into shape. As you build up your active lifestyle, you’ll need to remember to keep water handy so that you can re-hydrate properly. You might not even notice it, but even minor dehydration can cause headaches, cramps, or stress.
Tags: financial fitness, trim costs | Categories: Personal Finance, Saving |
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